Cayman’s corals under threat

The Cayman Islands Department of Environment(DoE) has confirmed that Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has now spread to North West point of Grand Cayman.

Since it was first sighted on the north wall of Grand Cayman in June last year, the DoE says it continues to battle with this deadly coral disease which has devastated reefs in Florida and around the Caribbean.

The DoE is advising the public to report any sightings and to avoid dive sites in diseased areas.

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a disease of corals that first appeared off the coast of Florida in 2014 and has spread rapidly to Cayman and the Caribbean.

It destroys the soft tissue of many species of stony coral, killing them within weeks or months of becoming infected.

The DoE advises persons diving or snorkelling anywhere in the Cayman Islands to disinfect their gear before going to a new location and between every dive.

Coral reefs are critical to Cayman’s marine environment and are also a popular tourist attraction.